Evangelion Cat's Cradle
by Arianna Lanning
Summary: This is the Reboot of the Evangelion: Ockham's Razor published under the Pen Name Veronica Avalon back in 2004. A fun and adventurous tale about a story that Yui Ikari attempted to take a crazy but direct approach in saving her son.
1. Problem Zero

**EVANGELION  
>... Cat's Cradle ... <strong>

**Problem Zero: The Yui that I was...**

Was it disturbing to be dead? On the other hand, was it so outlandish enough that I still had thoughts, yet no way to tell anyone what they were? Well except for the cursed beast my soul was trapped in.

I had no idea of the path I was truly walking, when I sacrificed myself so long ago. Nevertheless, being a woman of science, I always had plans, and of course, back up plans. Sometimes there are even plans that you think up when you are depressed and drunk. Yet, with my brilliance, I wouldn't have expected that such an impossible and possibly stupid plan would have done anything to change the world.

This all started when I felt that I couldn't trust my beloved Gendo. His obsession over me had gone too far. He lost sight of our goals, which of course was, to save the world. Maybe the sex was just that damn good; maybe he needed more friends as a child. Anyways, he forged an unforgiving doll, in my own image. Flattered that he would even hold his love for me after death, I disliked the idea behind the Rei Experiment. Why didn't I like it? Having a couple dozen of mindless children with my face running around would freak anyone out. As a matter of fact, this Rei project of Gendo's was more disturbing than Project E. When I found out about the Rei Experiment, I turned to Gendo yet he refused to tell me the truth about it.

Sitting, in a small booth in an upscale restaurant, Yui Ikari sat, with a flattering black dress on, and her hair done up, something she never took time to do, since she was four. In front of Yui sat, the young, slapdash, slick and clean cut, Gendo Ikari. Wearing a tuxedo and an ear-to-ear smile, Gendo Ikari sat opposite of Yui, his love drenched eyes stared into Yui's. Slowly Gendo's hands grasped Yui's from their place resting on her place mat. He gently pulls her over towards him, both try to close the distance, despite the obstacle of the table. With their faces only inches apart a whispering discourse began. However, the sweet nothings muttered by Gendo turn to matters of business, as was often the case. As the talk turned to business, the two turn to their newly arrived meals.

"I find it highly disturbing, creepy and dirty." Yui muttered as she held her wine glass, allowing the wine to spin inside of her cup.

Gendo still had a smile chiseled on his face, as he swallows his food before speaking. "Yui dear, I fear we must have it, as a backup at least. You may disagree with my solution, however I disagree with yours, but I'm not going to stop you."

Still unsatisfied Yui leaned in. "Seriously Gendo, hybrids... It is one thing to clone angels, it's something entirely different when you bio-hack their DNA and splice it with humans. Don't you think that is crossing the line?"

"No..." Gendo simply did not see the issue, tools were tools.

With a small frown upon her face, Yui thought about how hypocritical her clone statement was, because she used very similar technology in creating the Evangelions. "Even if you could do it Gendo, you will run into the same problems we have with the Eva's; a total lack of a primary electrophysiological response interface. I still don't like the fact we are going to hide it from Doctor Akagi"

"The less the hag knows the better," Gendo nonchalantly took a sip from his wine, and looked down at his food. "The PERI or let's just get right down to it soul; can be generated artificially in theory, besides using human DNA should generate at least a half soul enough for it to function. Thanks to the ignorance of Akagi and her breakthroughs in brain transfer interface systems, and Artificial Intelligence Systems, these clones are possible."

"Oh don't give me that Gendo," Yui whispered with smile, as she took bite of her perfectly cooked Foie gras. She suddenly gave a small chuckle before she joked, "I see how she looks at you. She's your biggest fan."

Gendo shook his head at the joke still smiling. "Speaking of fans, I hear you set up a meeting with your good old Fuyutsuki, at twelve tomorrow."

"Will you cut that out..." Yui blushes at the fact that her former teacher has had a fondness for her since she was a undergraduate at Kyoto University's Brain Research Lab. "I have to go over my will and testament, one more time." The thought of what she was going to do, silenced them both.

Looking down to his plate, Gendo frowned, "Please Yui, just let these clones go. They will only be created in a worst case scenario."

A worst case scenario, As soon as he said that I knew that there was far more to these clones than he was letting on. However if I were to learn anything about them, I needed to find out on my own. That was easier said than done, it took all my nerdy hacking skills I learned back in high school to break into the Rei Experiment and what I found inside was beyond the pale.

I had no idea how far ahead he was. I thought bio-hacking and splicing human and angel DNA was just a concept but in reality he had already done it. I nearly vomited when I found the spawning chamber he so arrogantly named, The Room of Gauf. It was filled with over thirty human angel hybrid clones. What disturbed me the most was that Gendo used my DNA in their creation. As I delved deeper into what Gendo had done I discovered that Gendo already knew that the Rei clones lacked a true PERI, but Gendo was also right that the human DNA gave these clones half souls, barely capable of freewill.

Wasn't this what Seele wanted, I thought. The point I was risking my life by in the contact experiment with the Evangelion was so if Seele used an Evangelion to begin instrumentality it can be aborted by someone like myself or like my dear friend, Kyoto Zeppelin Shikinami. It struck me like a punch to the face. Why Gendo would use parts of my DNA, if Doctor Souyu and I failed in the contact experiment, these Rei clones would be perfect pilots. Perfect soldiers much like the Japanese Self Defense Forces Marionette Project Doctor Akaji consulted on at the time. These soldiers Gendo could use against Seele or the world. These half souled and horrid forms shocked me to my core.

I learned so much about the Rei Experiment I knew there was only one person I could trust, my dear friend Kyoto Zepplin Shikinami.

"For a scientist, I don't see how you can drag your own son into this mess." Kyoto muttered as she cradled a baby in her arms. Both were sitting next to each other on an old wooden bench in the middle of oldest Public Park in Germany, the Tiergarten. The lights of Berlin can be seen burning beyond the tree line that sways in the cool autumn air.

"What do you mean Kyoto?" Yu asked using her perfect 'high' German accent. She held the fragile body of her son Shinji in her arms. "I think that he should see what kind of future we can bring, one without Seele, one without fear of a third impact."

After a small sigh, Kyoto stared out into the trees as she plays with the tiny stubbly fingers of Auska. "What if we fail Yui? If we cannot return from the solidification, we would be trapped in these damn creations of ours. Even if we do comeback into human form, there is a chance we could be brain dead or even driven insane by the process. Reincarnation isn't meant for humans."

Looking away from her friend, Yui whispered, "It's a risk I am willing to take. Shinji and Auska should live in peace."

"Yui, I wish I had such blind optimism." Kyoto reached to her side and pulled a booklet from a large bag next to her. "I did some digging like you asked, and some research of my own. Do you want to know what the leading theories are if we get trapped inside the Evas? Handing Yui the booklet she continued, "The contact failure contingency program, better known as the Marduk Report. In the event human subjects are trapped within the evangelions core the most viable option would be to introduce a third party for direct communications between the Core and the Brain Computer interface."

"This is why Gendo was making the clones." Yui was quick to say as she skimmed over the booklet entitled The Marduk Report.

"That is bullshit and you know it," Kyoto interruption silenced even Yui's thoughts. "Our children make the best candidates over those half breeds your husband cooked up, because they would have PERIs. If you look deep enough into the research they discovered for optimal conditions a third party would have to have at least a fifty percent relation to the core to establish a stable synchronization. With us being the interface, it will be our children who they would use to interface with us. I would rather die than see Auska be put into one of those monsters."

That was the last time I spoke to Kyoto on that subject. A turning point in my little conspiracy to not just commit subterfuge against Seele and Gehirn, but also my own husband. Deep down I knew Kyoto was right. This would be our children's war if we wanted it to be or not. How could I or even my husband look Shinji in the eyes knowing we were complicit in such an evil undertaking? That he would face the very coffin I might die in. Leading up to the contact experiment Gendo began to show his distance form Shinji. I am sure he thought as I did; we were not helping him but sealing his fate.

This was the final nail in the proverbial coffin that would be my final act. I would do what Kyoto said shouldn't be done, I would plan my own resurrection. I remember it like it was yesterday, a warm winter night on my seventh can of Chuhai. Seele has had lifetimes to plan their plot, I only had half a decade. I guess they couldn't have just been satisfied with the little blue pill. Besides, somehow I knew that if I were to make a stand, it would be well after I left this physical world, resurrection was the only option.

Was it a great idea to use that old fuzzy logic artificial intelligence project I worked on as a P.H.D. candidate, most likely not. _Cat's Cradle _was a basic artificial intelligence using a carbon nanotube processes that learned off of and mimicked feline behavior. It was never intended to mimic human behavior so I borrowed, well stole, Doctor Akagi's pride and joy, the MAJI computer brain interface matrix. I was never one to steal, but Naoko Akagi was someone I never liked, and I felt as if she wanted me to die during Project E. After creating a bio-neural electrical copy of my memories to the MAJI, I intergraded them within Cat's Cradle to turn it into a fully functioning artificial intelligence, in theory of course, I would never be able to know of the personality program of Cat's Cradle could handle the memories even after updating them. To assure it would never be found or bothered, I hid it within my dear Gendo's plan B, the Rei Experiment.

I would use Gendo's precious Rei's against him, by downloading my digital self into the only interface able to handle such a program, a Rei clone. Then I had to give my resurrection a activation date. Since I had little information on when the Third Angel would come, I had to make my Choice wisely. The Angels were capable of causing Instrumentality, and they were going to attack Tokyo Three. Few knew that hidden deep within the falsely called Geo-Front was the gateway to heaven, the Second Angel. Tokyo Three's true purpose was to prevent an Angel from making contact. Not a great plan, but it focused everyone's Angel and Human's on one battleground, one final standoff for the souls of humanity. It also conveniently packaged the history erase button in a fortress of steel.

The one thing only Angels and Evangelions could generate was Absolute Terror Fields, and A.T. Field detection technology was only experimental. The only known systems were located within the Geo-Front. This gave me the only option of knowing when the Angels returned was the moment they penetrate into the Geo-Front. It wasn't the most convenient time, but it was the only one I could use.

The day an AT Field penetrates into the Geo-Front would be the day my resurrection program would activate and hijack a clone in the room of Gauf and I will once again take human form. Brilliance does have its limits, as the day came for my Resurrection, little did I know that nothing is as simple as it should be, and just maybe, Cat's Cradle will save the world.

**Next problem: Forget it, I forgot it...**


	2. Problem One

**Evangelion**

**Cat's Cradle**

**Problem One: Forget it, I forgot it**

_'Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate'_

"No, not now!" Ritsuko Akagi cried out in the mobile Command Center that rested on top of the mountain beside Evangelion Units One, and Zero.

The Date was 2015 AD, just after midnight and Tokyo 3 was under attack by the diamond shaped fifth Angel known as Ramiel. Ramiel dominated over the skies of the city slowly but methodically drilling a hole to its target. Unit One's sniper shot went wide, and its super-heated photon wave was distorted by the passing particle beam energy fired from the Angel directly at Unit One. When the two hillsides on opposite sides of Tokyo 3 ignited in to a fireball or energy and light, the impact could be felt all the way down to terminal dogma. When Unit One readied its second shot, it was just at that moment Ramiel penetrated into the Geo-Front, with it's A.T. Field tipped drill. With most resistance out of the way it sped to its objective, deep within Nerv itself.

Deep underground in Terminal Dogma, in the darkened Room of Gauf, that had not seen any visitors for some time, the hum of electronics broke the silence, as computer screens begun to activate all around. Their monitors had lighten up the room with multi flashes of colors. Printouts begin to spit out, as the main lights turn on, with the sea of Rei's visible for anyone to see. A sound of suction then dominated the room as the center cylinder filled with the blood of Lilith, LCL. Once filled, like a cork in water, a Rei clone floated into the tube. It was cold and lifeless a mere doll like in appearance wrapped in the fetal position.

After some time, the sound of electricity was building into its crescendo. The overwhelming sound of the hiss and crackle filled the air as sparks sprung into mass eruption from the equipment. Without warning an explosion of electricity engulfed the tube of LCL, the clone jolted back and forth violently, as electricity coursed through its body. The light show ends in a flash as computer terminals around the room exploded and wires blew out from the ceiling. In an instant the power escaped from the room entirely. After some time the lights flickered back on, and in the center tube, the clone floated in a standing position.

'Being in pain would be a measureless understatement.' The clone thought to herself, as she made a bubbly scream of agony. Soon to follow was the unmistakable panic of drowning, yet as her lungs filled with the thick liquid, suffixation did not follow.  
>'Everything down to the tips of my fingers, to the balls of my feet hurt.' She floated, unable to gain motor function to her limbs, but was more than able to remember, why she was there.<p>

'To fight.' The clone thought, as feeling came back to her arms, she concentrated even more. Soon she felt the cold, damp tingle, of the thick liquid between he toes. 'I'm here to save my son, and the world.' Still blind but wanting to leave such a small space, she pushed off the bottom and up to the surface of the tube. 'I am…'

'Why does my head hurt, it felt like I just pushed myself in to a steel plate… to be more accrete, why does my body hurt.' Slowly, the clone trapped inside the tube, opened her eyes, to see blurry figures, and flashes of light. 'Wait I'm floating… No I'm drowning!' She raced as fast as she could, to whatever surfaces her limited vision could provide. She slammed in to a hard metal plate at the top of the slippery glass like cocoon. Once more, she franticly felt around, as the pain in her lungs slowly faded. 'Well that must be what caused my head to hurt…' She thought as she tapped at the metal lid. 'I am going to die! Wait a minute… Just who was about to die.'

Drowning seemed to become the furthest from her mind, now, as she contemplated on who she was. 'At least the LCL is protecting me from drowning.' She paused for a moment in confusion. 'Just how do I know this, and yet I can't remember my own name?'

The thin young clone crossed her arms in a pout. For some reason, she knew that the computers were still scanning her; however she did not know why she knew. She waited for nearly ten minutes until the top opened, and she floated to the surface. Chocking and spitting out LCL, she went to take her first breath. With much dismay, it was even more pain full then the feeling of drowning. 'I must be suffering from focal muscular atrophy.'

'Wait a minute!' For some reason, her mind knew a lot more then she was aware. 'This did answer my blurry vision, pain in my body and the lack of energy to move problem. Of course I have this urge to think of the human genome.'

The girl thought as she floated in the LCL, trying to remember her name. 'Y!' It started with a Y!'

A huge smile struck her face as she was remembering more than just the human genetic code. "Damn it, stupid human genetic code." Noticing that her voice was as useful as most of her random facts, the clone tried to clear her throat. This venture quickly turned into her coughing uncontrollably.

She returned to her thoughts, although for some reason, her mind could not get past the debate of this LCL, chemical components. On the good side, her vision was improving at least for color, light, and depth perception.

"Meow." The cat like sound was soft and dry, as she spoke under her breath as something brushed by her leg. She tried her best not to freak out. Nevertheless, she felt knowing who she was, was more important than a little thing called fear. When she was touched a second, and then third time, she got mad, and reached down grabbing something that felt like a hand. Alarmed that she was not alone, she pulled it up with all her strength, only to see a naked blue haired girl. She came to the surface, with a lifeless bob to her head.

"Y… Shit!" She grabbed her mouth, as she heard an echo bounce off the walls of this pool of LCL. 'This LCL it's so gooey, and… well gooey.' She waited for a moment before curiosity got the best of her. She reached out, and poked the lifeless girl in the head. The body's only reaction was to slowly sink back in to the pool.

'Meow' The clone became very sad; the first person she met in her life was dead. 'Maybe I was supposed to be dead too.' It was a discouraging thought, but it made sense to her. She pulled the body up once more.

"Well nice to meet you." She whispered, giving her voice some practice. "So is there anything else to do besides die in a pool." After waiting for the response, she looked around, to see the shadowy figures, of lifeless bodies, at the bottom of the pool. The girl, who looked like all of them except for one unique future, frowned at the sight.

"I guess, not."

With some strength building in her body, she decided to put it to good use, by finding a way out of this place. She also felt, she should say good-bye to her first friend. Even if the person was dead, she did not distinguish it as a problem. "Good night and thank you blue haired girl. You completed your task what more can I ask of you now. That will be all, if I need you I will call, but I don't think that's likely somehow."

After a minute of swimming, she found a ladder that led out of the pool. Pulling herself out would seem to be more difficult then she imagined. With a lot of pain, moaning, and wincing, the young girl reached the surface. She looked around the large hollow room, she found that there where dozens of pools around her.

'What a weird place.' Nothing registered to this clone's almost childlike mind; everything was so foreign to her, yet it was also fun. She went to thinking once more, as she laid on her back, naked and cold, unable to build the strength to stand.

'I do not even remember what I look like, but random useless facts seemed to be abundant.' She then took the time to 'guesstimate' the diameter and circumference of the pool. 'Who ever I was, I needed to get a life, because the information got me nowhere.' After sometime of more thought, she forced herself to sit up. This was surprisingly easy; her body was rebounding from atrophy, faster then she thought. Smiling she began to sing.

_"In to the darkness away I go, _

_all it may be in vane I know,_

_ In to the darkness even so _

_I have to take the journey. _

_In to the darkness to find some clothes."_

Her adventure had begun but in only thirty minutes, she was walking warily down a hallway exhausted and in pain. It was pitch black, but with her vision still out of whack, it made no difference. She was relieved when she finally found a door that she could open.

Once inside the clone stumbled around, until she finally found a light. 'Bad idea!' She thought as she turned on and quickly off the lights. Holding her eyes in pain from her photo sensitivity. 'There's a good lesson for you sins.'

After a minute, the girl decided on a safer approach, and began to crawl around like a child touching, and feeling her way around. Thanks to a stroke of luck she managed to find a cabinet full of assorted clothing. It was only disposable hospital scrubs; it was better than her birthday suit. Once dressed she stood up, this time with the pain in her feet only a slight annoyance to her.

'I need something to allow my eyes to get used to the light.'

Her thought was at first discouraging, but soon her useless talent in random facts gave her an idea. She searched around until she found a bandaging cloth. Pulling a appropriate length she tore it with her teeth, she then tied it around her head, blindfolding herself. She felt around in the dark, until she found the light switch once more. Less painful than before and she could distinguish shapes, and this pleased the clone as she gave a smirk. "If there is one thing I'm learning about myself in this experience, is that I am a freak'n genius."

Allowing time to get used to the light, she went to leave but the door started to slide open by itself, so she quickly shut it. Once more, it was sliding open so she hit the close button again and called out, "Who is it?"

"Nerv Security Forces! Open the door!" The voice sounded mad to her, something she did not want to be a part of, and decided to calm it down, as she looked for something to brace the door

"Oh, really." The clone stepped back feeling franticly for something to help her. "You see, we really don't need any security forces because we already got one."

The door slid open before she even reached to close it again. In the doorway, was a tall figure and he immediately registered to her as a dangerous person. "Nerv Security Forces! Don't move!"

"Meow!' As if by reflexes, the young clone attacked whoever it was in front of her. The first attack was a faint punch, than a grapple of whatever was in his hands. As if her mind could have found a better time to bring up useless facts, she began to think about what she just grabbled away from this man, using her apparent skill in Wing Chun martial arts.

'H&K MP-5 SD 9mm… side-by-side double magazines and a sure-shot light…' Her thoughts ended, by a slap to the head from the man's nightstick. 'I deserved that.'

Not in the best shape to fight some people totting, submachine guns, and assortment of objects made for killing people really fast. Therefore, the girl leaped for the soldier's shoulders; once more as if by second nature, she spun in midair, landing on the other side of the door. For all her acrobatics, it did not save her from falling on her ass as her dismount. She quickly looked to identify the shapes, of a group of tall figures, using a SWAT tactic called a stack formation, facing her; therefore, she decided to run.

'Besides it was a boring conversation anyways.' She thought.

She retreated like the French in war. She ran as fast as her slender legs could take her, only to have another useless fact to come to mind.

'The only time the French have one a war in the past two hundred years was against themselves'

She went around corners, and up a flight of stairs, finally she ran into a pair of elevator doors. Franticly pushing the up button, the seconds felt like an eternity. She could hear the pounding of steel toed boots, running in her direction she felt the fear of death for the first time.

"Come to me, now, elevator! I command it!" She put her hands on her hips, as she thought back in her random knowledge. 'Come to think of it, what's a SWAT style stack?' The elevator saved her for the torment of telling herself the answer. She dashed inside it and quickly closed the doors just as she saw the glare from the MP-5's, sure shot light strike her blindfold. The weak girl began to gasp for air as she fell back against the side of the elevator. It was as if she never ran before in her life. The elevator never seemed to stop for her either. She guessed pressing the up button a million times would do that. After twenty minutes, she started to worry.

'This must be the elevator to heaven.'

**Next Problem: Boy meets girl, girl meet name…**


	3. Problem Two

**Evangelion**

**Cat's Cradle**

**Problem Two: Boy meets girl, girl meet name...**

Finally, a tone rang out, and the elevator slowed to a stop. At first, the clone hid, just in case someone was waiting to ambush her. After hearing silence, she looked around the corner to see an empty opaque hallway.

'Hello, mysterious girl with no name, or memory looking for a mister Saint Peter, he's supposed to be bouncing at this joint.'

Seeing the hallway was clear, the girl once more ran, this time with the sound of bare feet hitting the waxed floor with a slap. She stopped however, when she turned a corner, and saw a partly open door. The clone decided to go into it, and rest her drained body against a wall. She took the time to catch her breath, before taking off her blindfold. Her vision was fully adjusted allowing her to scan her surroundings. The air was clammy as she looked around to what was a locker room. The sound of a shower could be heard in the background. Feeling that she wasn't the only one in the room she decided it was time to leave. As she cracked, open the door, to look down the hallway; to see three men armed to the teeth, she quickly went back into the hallway.

"Shit! It's the Spanish Inquisition again!" She closed the door and looked around to see a young boy steping out from around the corner with only a towel around his waist.

"Rei!" Shinji shouted with embarrassment. 'Why the hell is she here?' Shinji thought as he ran the other way holding his nose.

"Meow..." The girl whispered, before prowling in the direction the boy went.

'She had her own locker room.' Shinji said to himself as he changed. 'This was the second time in two days one of us has been caught with just a towel.' His thoughts are disturbed, by a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey kid..." The clone said in a hurry.

'Hey kid...' Shinji could not help but turn and stare at his fellow pilot in confusion.

The girl Shinji believed to be Rei took notice of her problem, as she felt a drip fall from her nose. Apparently, that nightstick did some damage as blood dripped from the wound. The blood did not deter her, from her up beat personality, besides the big men with guns were the larger threat. "Hide me!" Was all the clone could say, with a pleading look in her eyes.

'I can't understand what she wants.' Shinji sighed to himself as he looked up to the girl. After an unwanted time of silence, the boy answered. "Why..."

"Don't give me that boy!" The clone said as she looked about franticly for a place to hide.

'Wait what...' Shinji was dumb founded. 'Why was she acting so different, she's acting?' Dare he think it? 'Silly?' Crossing his arms he said in defiance, "Look I am not fast talking anyone."

"Look, I'm not asking you to juggle chainsaws, just hide me from the oversized men with assault rifles, okay!" The clone responded as she took hold of Shinji's shoulders.

The boy gave a frustrated sigh before he looked around a bit, and then walked over to his locker opening it. "Like in here..."

The girl gave him no chance, to change his mind, as she leapt into the locker. "Thanks kid person who I don't know!"

'I never thought Rei would be so informal.' He tried to put together his dilemma, of who he thought was a very confused Rei Ayanami. "I'm Shinji. Are you okay Ayanami-san?" The boy said as he held the locker open staring at the clone with concern.

Smiling the girl patted Shinji on the head and responded, "Nice to meet you, now can I please hide."

Shinji put up no resistance as he closed the door. Just when he was about to step away the girl opened the door and said, "Oh if anyone asks, I'm not here!" She partly closed it before opening it again and added, "Especially if they have really big scary guns!"

'Apparently, the boy knows me by the way he stares at me.' The memory lacking girl also felt like she had some kind of bond to him but could not place it.

The girl waited in darkness, in Shinji Ikari's locker. Of course, she did not even know if the boy should save her. Someone wanted her really badly, but she wasn't about to find out, who sends crack tactical teams after weak little girls.

The clone was broken from thought when the same mean voice from before could be heard just outside. He was talking to the boy who was helping her hide, and she covered her mouth and held her breath as she listened in.

"Are you alone?"

"Umm... who else would be in here..." Shinji said in a soft tone.

"Are you, or not!"

Umm... Yes sir..."

Looking about the clone began to take note of some of the items in the locker. What stood out the most was an identification card with a picture of the boy's face on it. 'Ikari, Shinji.' It was painfully familiar for her. 'Shinji, Shinji, Ikari, Ikari, Ikari...'

She drew a frustrating blank as it sounded familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. 'Y-Shinji... Y-Shinji... Y-Shinji...Y- Ikari...Yikari...' Once more, her mind had drifted off, in to wonder land.

'Yukari?' She whispered to herself, and though she didn't find it any more familiar she felt comfortable with it.

"Umm, Ayanami-san" The clone was so spaced out; she did not notice that Shinji was looking at her, with the locker door open.

Smiling the clone waved, "What's up kid..."

"Excuse me..." Shinji was once more utterly confused. "Are you okay Ayanami-san."

"Who..." The girl looked around herself trying to see whom he was talking. "Oh... Me... Sorry kid..."

"I'm not a kid..." Shinji was becoming irritated with the clone. He stepped back thinking. 'I don't get her before she couldn't even build the will to smile, maybe the battle affected her.'

With a suspicious eyebrow raised the clone said, "But you're so young."

This was distressing for Shinji; as the image he made of Rei was being smashed to pieces. Even what others have said about her was melting away. "We are the same age Ayanami-san."

Now the girl looked confused, she could have sworn; she was much old, then this kid. "How old are you!"

"Fourteen." Shinji asserted with confidence. When the girl's face showed signs of panic he too began to worry. 'Maybe I should go get Misato, or something she's acting weird.' Shinji looked up to the clone that was deep in thought. "I think I should go get you help."

"Wait..." The girl trips out of his locker, falling to the ground.

Shinji rushed over lifting her to his lap. "Ayanami-san are you okay."

"I don't know..." The truth was that the pain was catching up with her. She also, did not want him to run off and get help. "Just help me up, please."

The boy complied, and helped her to her feet, with no complaints. When she stood, she was staring directly at her dead friend from the pool of LCL. For all to hear she let out a blood-curdling scream. Putting her hands in front of her face with fear, she shouted, "My dead friend! She's Alive! She's alive! It's the zombie apocalypse we are doomed! Doomed!"

Scratching at his cheek Shinji just stood staring at the girl. The clone obviously looked like she had seen a ghost and was even more shocked to discover it was mimicking her. He watched as she glared at it before realizing she was standing in front of a mirror.

'This was disturbing.' She thought, as she placed her hands, down to her side and stared at the mirror. 'This wasn't right. I could have sworn I was older, and much older.' The girl touched her face and examined it for the first time. "Bone structure is that of an Asian... Japanese decent... I'm albino. No that isn't it; my human DNA might be too fragmented to absorb melatonin." She dictated to her reflection, as she played with her hair. "The hair seems to be stained a possible birth defect."

"Umm... Ayanami-san." Shinji whispered softly.

Then it hit her, it was her eyes, and she leaned forward into the mirror and looked at them. "Yellow!" The girl turned to the ever more confused Shinji, that could only stare at her. "What color are my eyes..."

Shinji rolled his eyes; his mind convinced that Rei was making fun of him. "Red..." He stopped however when he looked into his eyes, he stepped closer and said, "Yellow?!"

"The Madness!" The girl spun around before slamming her head in to a locker.

"Look Rei, you should see Dr. Akagi, or something..." Shinji shuddered; as his thoughts were still processing everything this clone he thought was Rei Ayanami was doing.

'Meow... Wait that name rang a bell, Akagi.' The girl thought as she could picture a face with dark cherry hair and green eyes. 'I also remember that she was a bitch.' Nevertheless, it was the first thing she can remember that was relevant.

"Take me to her!" The girl grabbed Shinji by his shirt demanding action. Shinji nodded as he put away his things, the girl watched and studied his mannerism. 'He was annoyed at something.' The girl shook her head feeling that her needs were more important.

The two teens left the locker room and prowled to an elevator. The yellowed eyed clone did her best, to grasp her environment; she recognized something but not others. They entered the elevator, this one much older, then the other, and she remembered the clicking of the floor counter, as they went up.

The silence was making Shinji uncomfortable so he dared to attempt talking. "Umm... Ayanami-san... Thanks for saving me tonight."

"Meow?" The girl had no clue what he was talking about, and lying to someone whose was helping her did not feel right. "Umm... kid, I'm not this Ayanami person..." Her voice seemed unable to speak above a whisper as reminded to the fact that she had no clue who she was.

'She had to of hurt herself, or bumped her head.' Shinji thought, before speaking to the girl again this time with more caution in his voice. "Yes you are. I think you were injured in the last battle."

The clone remembered that her first acquaintance was a dead girl that looked like her. She felt that this young boy didn't need to know such a fact, seeing it might be his friend. "I'm sorry kid... but I'm not this Ayanami person. So let's just drop it before you hurt your young child brain."

'This is stupid...' Shinji crossed his arms feeling that Rei, of all people, was insulting him. "I'm fourteen Ayanami, I'm not a kid..."

The girl rolled her eyes at him, as she began to feel agitated. "Sorry but you look like a kid to me..."

Shinji looked away seeing that, the girl he pulled out of Unit Zero's Entry Plug was teasing him. "And my name is Ikari Shinji, if you don't like me, can you at least call me by one of them."

The girl stared him down, Shinji only held his ground feeling that he was in the right. "Look I'm sorry about the kid stuff..." The girl hissed. "But when I ran into you I didn't know your name."

"You used it before..." Shinji alleged, with a strange tone to his voice as he stared at her, as if she was crazy.

"You lie!" She yelled out, knowing she never called this kid by name. "You don't believe me..." The girl shouted as she became teary eyed.

Shinji stepped back thinking that he just upset her. "I think you were injured in the last attack Rei, and you need help... I want to help you."

This Rei person was starting to frustrate the clone and she hadn't even met her as far as she knew. "I'm not Rei!"

"Yes you are. You are Ayanami, Rei, age fourteen!" The dazed boy said with more concern than anger. "If you are not her, than who are you?"

"Well... I don't know..." Having no identity didn't seem right, she couldn't keep calling herself, nothing, or the person who looked like Rei, she needed a name. She also had to have it make scene. 'Ayanami, Rei was my apparent double, slash twin, so it would make sense to use her surname.' The clone thought. As Shinji stood waiting for an answer. 'Where did all of that useless knowledge go?'

"Yukari..." The clone blurted out, Shinji could only stare at her as he waits for her to finish. "Ayanami, Yukari!"

With that out of the way, she smiled. 'I could live with a decent name like Yukari Ayanami.' Shinji just shook his head, seeing that the girl just made up a name. The elevator slowed to a stop, and both Shinji and Yukari turned to the door, as it opened. The clone know named Yukari was not expecting what happened next. Before the door fully opened, she was struck in the chest.

"My grandkids are going to feel that." Yukari moaned as she slammed up against the back of the elevator holding her chest. Shinji stared in shock, as the girl she thought was Rei, cried in pain with her nose pouring out blood. Yukari looked up to see an army of soldiers in black fatigues and armed with an assortment of weapons. All are pointing at her, but the one person who was behind the shield caught her eye.

'Ah bloody hell, a beanbag shotgun...' Yet again, her gift of knowledge came to her when there was no need. The second shot struck her in the upper chest knocking the wind out of her. She collapsed to her knees as her vision began to tunnel. "Nice shot."

**Next Problem: The Zero Child**


	4. Problem Three

**Evangelion**

**Cat's Cradle **

**Problem Three: The Zero Child**

Marching down the security wing of section two, was an exhausted Gendo Ikari with is his eyes barely open. His uniform was crinkled, his jacket top was open, and his fists were clenched. As he passed members of Nerv Security Forces, they parted to the sides of the hallway like the red sea. He turned multiple corners before he reached an area guarded by two armed security members. They both saluted the Commander as he slammed open the door and continued down a hallway were he saw about ten men all wearing black BDUs and MP-5s slung to their sides. He passed them and entered into a room were Doctor Ritsuko Akagi stood with other doctors staring through a window.

"Ah, Commander Ikari, good morning." Ritsuko smiled as she motioned to have her colleges leave with her hand.

Gendo pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "This better be worth it."

There was a slight pause as Ritsuko allowed Gendo to look through the window. "Oh, I think it is worth it." She looked in to the window that showed the rouge clone named Yukari shackled to a bed naked with multiple cords and wires strapped to her body.

"What the shit is this?" Gendo muttered as he placed his glasses back on.

"This is Rei III, well kind of..." Ritsuko stated in a slight tone of disbelief.

Somehow, Gendo was not to shocked, that there was another clone out of the sea. "This isn't the first time we had a sleepwalker." After yawning he glared at Ritsuko as he continued, "Dispose of it. You better not be telling me you woke me up for a damn sleepwalker?"

"That's true, but this fish out of water is..." Before Ritsuko could finish Gendo began to walk away.

"Destroy her..." Gendo's words drive cold daggers into Ritsuko's skin. "Waste my time on this shit."

"I wouldn't have called you if it was that easy, sir." Ritsuko strived to show that the problem was greater than Gendo could possibly imagine. "That clone is the last one!"

"What!" Gendo turned to Ritsuko in utter shock. "What do you mean the last one?"

"This isn't a sleepwalker; she was created by of shadow program hidden in the MAJI." Ritsuko hands Gendo her tablet. "She is frankly a work of art. Though I need to take more tests, but it seems this clone was engineered its own PERI,,, Created by none other than.,,"

"Yui!" Gendo dropped the tablet to the ground and gripped his tightening chest. He turned and stared out to the naked child in the other room.

Ritsuko nodded her head, as she folded her arms in front of her. "The program, was a little over thirteen years old. She hid it in the original Rei Experiment divers."

The fear and silence Ritsuko saw in Gendo's eyes had her hair stand on the back of her neck. Gendo placed his hands on the glass and bowed his head. "My dear sweat Yui, what in God's name have your done."

Seeing Gendo was not going to speak, she knelt down and picked up her tablet thankful the screen didn't break. "When she was created it shoot enough power into the room of Gauf, it fried every last one of our clones."

"What is her mental state at?" Gendo whispered softly. He looked to Ritsuko, "does it match… Is it similar to…"

Feeling that Gendo was not truly paying attention to her, Ritsuko handed him the tablet once more. "I did a full body scan, CAT scan, MRI, EKG, A.T. Field simulation, and a PERI comparison test." She lets Gendo read the findings. "Though she has similar wave patterns, the clone is not your wife."

"Her primary electrophysiological response interface patterns..." Gendo whispered to himself. "They're..."

Nodding her head, Ritsuko leaned against the glass, "They are impossible, a uniformed cascade similar to that of the Maji, she is a walking talking full-fledged biological artificial intelligence."

Both turn and look at the girl that's seems so vulnerable naked on the table. "Place her in interrogation room three." No one responded to Gendo's command as he began to leave. "This just changed everything; we lost control of our destiny."

The only senses of the five Yukari had was her sense of hearing and a sense of touch, and what she heard, and felt was not pleasant. The clone had a bag over her head, hands were handcuffed together, which they handcuffed to her waist, and just to be sure she was not Houdini, her feet were chained together. Now awake and after dragged for about ten minutes, she was thrown into a room. The door slammed shut behind her just as she began to stand. All she left was the sound of her heart racing in the silence in the room. Therefore, she waited for her fate, minutes turned into hours and food was becoming a big part of her thoughts. She was not just hungry but scientifically starving. It felt like an entire day had gone by since she woke in the pool of LCL and, she was dehydrated. She was tired as she nestled herself into a corner of the room, yet she could not sleep. Just as all hope was lost, she heard the door open a man in heavy boots march over and yanked off the black bag on her head and gag in her mouth. The man kept her head to the ground as he removed her bondage.

Before Yukari could say anything the man exited the room closing the door leaving her in near darkness once again. Once more the room became empty and quiet, but at least this time there was just enough light she could see on the other side of the room was a one-way mirror. Finding she is wearing different style hospital clothes. She began to feel a little edgy but still willing to make a light of her predicament, Yukari decided to walk over to the mirror and fool around.

On the other side of the mirror, sat members of Nerv Section Two, with their suits freshly pressed, as well as Gendo, Fuyutsuki, and Ritsuko. Fuyutsuki began to chuckle as the girl in front of them picked her nose and placed her foul findings on the glass.

"She acts four years old..." Ritsuko muttered as she smiled at the child like antics.

On the other side, Yukari decided that physical actions are not enough. "Look, before your spade me, rape me, or do anything horrible, maybe we got off on the wrong foot. Look I don't want any arguments or disagreements why don't you cut me loose, and we come out of this as unlikely friends."

"Sit down." An intercom bellowed to Yukari in a computerized modulated voice. "We have questions to ask you."

Seeing a stool in the center of the room, Yukari walked over and took a seat; she looked to the one way mirror and responded, "as long as they are tiny weeny questions."

"What is your name?"

Mad at the fact that they did not laugh at her antics, made her want to refuse to go along with the interrogation. Knowing she really did not know her name she decided to use the one, she made up. "Ayanami, Yukari..." The clone smiled as she swung her legs, thinking she might as well have fun, as her mind is brought to think about the principles of psychodynamic psychology. Before the voice could speak again Yukari said, "You know if I am going answer questions maybe you should answer some questions."

"Who are you?" The voice said.

Crossing her arms, Yukari shock her head. "Look, all I got is some simple questions. You know where I came from, so you know I have less answers than questions. Most likely you would learn more from my questions from you, than answers I give to questions I don't know the answer too."

"What are your questions?" The voice bellowed.

Smiling, Yukari looked to the floor, "Supposed you went in here and dug a hole in the floor."

"Okay, I dig a hole in the floor." The voice paused, "This line of question better lead to something."

Pointing her finger to the mirror, Yukari said, "Why should you come in here and dig a hole in the floor?"

There was a pause again. "I am not digging a hole in the floor. Do you want to escape?"

"No." Yukari quickly said, "I am asking you a question. Why are you going to dig a hole in the floor?"

"You said suppose that I go over and dig a hole." Was the response Yukari received.

Rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, Yukari sighed, "You see you don't even know what you are taking about."

There was silence than the interrogator said, "You said you wanted to ask questions."

"Okay." Yukari looked back to the mirror. "Suppose you walked into a baseball stadium. What teams are playing?"

"I don't know." The voice said, "What kind of questioning is this?"

Flabbergasted, Yukari threw her hands into the air. "Then what the hell are you doing in a baseball stadium?"

"I am not in any stadium." The voice countered, "I am in interrogation room 3, Nerv Headquarters Tokyo III."

"Ah." Yukari rubbed her chin. "You see you don't know what you are talking about."

"Stop talking about the baseball stadium. We are getting off track."

"No we are not." Yukari said as she hopped off her stool and put her hands on her hips. "I need to teach you these things. So hear me out." Walking up to the mirror Yukari said, "So what is the first thing you buy at the baseball stadium?"

"I get takoyaki." The voice said. Nodding her head, Yukari has realized in what part of Japan Tokyo III was located in. The modulated voice then added, "with ponzu sauce not takoyaki sauce."

"Wait what?" The clone took a step back. "Takoyaki sauce was made for takoyaki. For the love of all that is natural and good!"

The voice countered, "Not mine."

Shaking her head, Yukari pointed at the mirror. "Then it's not Takoyaki, how can you have takoyaki without takoyaki sauce? I mean it is called takoyaki sauce that means the two, they go together."

"Let them go together, I am not going to spoil any romance." The voice responded in a witty retort.

"Hey now, who is talking about romance?" Yukari smiled and walked back to the stool. "Do you know where takoyaki sauce comes from?"

"I don't know."

Sitting back on the stool, Yukari responded, "How can you not know this? They manufacture takoyaki sauce. Did you know they spend millions of yen a year to manufacture takoyaki sauce? Those factories support thousands of people just to manufacture takoyaki sauce, and those people support countless families. Look at you, for no reason you want to close those factories down all because you don't like takoyaki sauce!"

After a moment of silence the voice said, "Are you saying that if I don't eat takoyaki sauce, that a factory would close down?"

"No that's not it!" Yukari tried to interget but was interrupted.

"This is 2015, half of food manufacturing is automated, so you can make them redundant, I am still not going to eat it."

Crossing her arms, Yukari shook her head, "That's right let the computer just do everything. Kick them to the streets to save some money. Causing husbands to live in dishonor to their family."

"I'm not causing husbands dishonor." The voice countered. "You don't even know what a husband is."

"Of course I do." Yukari said with a smirk. "A husband is a sweetheart after it was ripped from a chest." Smiling, Yukari said, "Don't think I would want one, they might get to obsessed. "I have one more question."

"This will be your last question."

After a deep breathe Yukari said, "Okay, say you are at Tokyo Three international airport, and you buy a ticket. Where are you going?"

"I am not going anywhere?"

Narrowing her eyes, Yukari leaned forward. "Then why did you by a ticket?"

"I am not buying a ticket."

Throwing her hands in the air, Yukari yelled, "Than what are you doing in the airport?!"

"Most of the world was destroyed during second impact, where the hell am I supposed to go?"

"Second Impact." Yukari mind nearly gave her a heart attack; she leapt off the stool and ran to the mirror. "Have the angels returned yet? I know I should be doing something but I can't remember what!"

"Yes."

Giving a sigh, Yukari bowed her head and walked back to the stool. "I am here to destroy the angels."

The door opened and entered was a tall man of Japanese descent. He walked in silently to Yukari who bowed her head and took a seat back on the stool. "I don't remember my real name..." Yukari whispered. He stood there as if a statue, his cold heartless eyes, gave Yukari chills. "Oh, I came from a pool with dead bodies in it..." Yukari decided that thing were a bit too serious for her tastes. "I would look into that, if I were you." After a meow and a sigh, Yukari whispered, "Am I in trouble?"

"That depends..." Gendo responded with just a whisper.

"On..." She asked as Gendo bent down and took hold of her face. Yukari didn't like him that close and his rough scared hands were uncomfortable against her sensitive skin. Yet, she let him take a light to her deep yellow eyes, and then to her scalp, and mouth.

"Can you stop being a pervert?" Yukari jerked back and said, "My systolic blood pressure is probably 120 mmHg. my diastolic blood pressure is around 66 mmHg, and my pulse rate is a steady eight- eight beats per minute, so can you stop with the groping."

Gendo simply glared at the girl in silence. A moment later, a female entered the room with medical equipment, and for some reason Yukari knew what it all was.

"Naoko?" For some reason Yukari thought that was her name, and spoke it without thinking. All Ritsuko did was stare at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Excuse me..." The tall Doctor mumbled as she runs her hand through her blond hair.

The yellow-eyed girl looked at her hoping that once more, that she was the Naoko she knew. "Naoko right... Naoko Akagi... Wait, your hair is blond."

"My name is Doctor Ritsuko Akagi... just how do you know my mother's name..." Ritsuko asked.

Yukari thought about it, and then thought about it some more. With no clear reason; she just smiled and pointed to her head. "I... don't know... You look funny with blond hair..."

After a small sigh, Ritisuko held up a tablet. "You are the last, of sisters to a girl named Ayanami-san Rei." Ritsuko's voice began to fade as she read from the screen.

"Meow?" Just because the woman in front of Yukari waved around a PH.D, did not mean she was not going to catch the fact there was more of her. "What do you mean last of?"

Slowly Ritsuko begun to hook clips to Yukari's head. "There is more than just one of you, however you are the one of two left alive." The doctor tone deepened as she etherized alive.

"Oh... so I come to life in your gooey cesspool of people parts, yet you don't know me..." The reminder of the LCL made Yukari cringe. "Have you even seen that stuff! It's so gooey..." If Ritsuko was trying to win her trust, she was failing. Yukari had a feeling she was in a big mess of lies, that she had to conform to, or she would die.

"We didn't wake you; you woke yourself, so yes we know what you are, we just didn't know who."

Yukari guessed that is the simple way to put it, but she had a feeling the good doctor simply wanted to avoid the word clone. "So where is this, sister, of mine?" Yukari said as she waved quotations marks with her fingers as she spoke the word sister.

"She's on her way." The doctor took no notice of two large men in black suit walking into the room followed by Gendo.

"Oh great the pedophile is back." Yukari's mumbled defiantly. She knew she was playing with fire, but she also felt that Gendo didn't want to see any harm to her, she was something special. With those thoughts in mind she gave a cold stare and said, He tried to grope me!"

Ritsuko faked a cough to get her attention; Yukari look at her still concerned about the Commander. "Ayanami-san, this man, in front of you, is Commander Ikari-san Gendo. He's the reason you're still alive, he can just as easily change his mind."

Somewhat embarrassed that she just called the self-appointed lord and master, a pervert, Yukari bowed her head to show a little respect. "Sorry Sir."

"Your existence is a privilege." Gendo scorned at Yukari in a monotone voice. "It can be easily taken away. I have spared your life for two reasons. That you will work under the organization NERV and do whatever my subordinates ask. Second you will give up all information you have knowledge of."

"You're Shinji's father..." Yukari asked as she began to bit her toenails. Everyone looked away in disgust from Yukari, as she bit her nails. Ritsuko grabbed Yukari's feet and pulled them away from her mouth.

Gendo clenched his fists before her stormed out of the room. Yukari looked over to Ritsuko. "He is defiantly the boss around here."

Ritsuko gave a small sigh as she tapped on the tablet screen before handing it over to Yukari. On the top line of the tablet it read, 'Your Eyes Only' just below that Yukari read out, "Zero child?" She was then handed an identification card by Ritsuko, Yukari quickly noticed that it wasn't of her for the girl in the photo had red eyes not yellow.

"I don't understand..." Yukari looked to the Doctor that seemed to be writing something down on a separate table. "Why does this thing call me the Zero child? And this picture isn't me."

The Doctor took no time to answer the teenagers questions. "The picture is that of Rei, your sister. Don't worry it's only a temporary ID card. Zero child is what the Marduk report calls you. It will be your pilot designation if we decide to let you into an Evangelion."

Yukari's shoulders sink and her head bows as she spoke, "The formal name is "General-purpose Humanoid Decisive Combat Weapon - Artificial Human (Cyberoid) Evangelion. In order to implement the Human Complementation Project, Evangelion's were built, being able to deploy A.T. Field as well as neutralize it; it is the only weapon that we humans have to counter the Angels. It takes its power from electricity and without external supply, it can maintain only 5 minutes of activity. Thus, usually it takes the electrical power it needs through Umbilical Cable."

Yukari began to rub her temples and looked up to see that Doctor Akagi was staring at her in shock. "What did you just say..."

"Meow..." Yukari muttered unsure what just happened. "Did I say something?"

"My god that was word for word..."

Next problem: Sisters...


End file.
